Tow converter

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a tow converter which stretches and breaks the tow to manufacture a sliver.

United States Patent Okayama et a1.

14 1 Sept. 30, 1975 TOW CONVERTER Inventors: Katsumi Okayama. Daito: Makoto Mizutani, Osaka; Saburo Sate. lbsragi. all of Japan Assignce: Kansai Kiko Co.. Ltd., Osaka. Japan Filed: Mar. 19, 1974 Appl. No.: 452,657

Foreign Application Priority Data Mar. 22. 1973 Japan 48-33307 US. Cl. 19/.56; 19/.6; 83/913 lnt. C1. D01G 1/10 Field of Search 19/.3.62;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2.221.869 11/1940 Halin 19/.62 2.250.575 7/1941 Dreyfus 19/.51 X 1464.882 3/1949 Neislcr. Jr. 19/.37 3.251097 5/1966 Faw et a1. 19/.56 X

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 694 465 8/1940 Germany 19/.6

Primar liruminerDorsey Newton Almrney. Agent, 0" Firm-Stewart and Kolasch, Ltd.

[57 ABSTRACT The present invention relates to a tow converter which stretches and breaks the tow to manufacture a sliver.

3 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures Sheet 2 of 3 3,908,232

} US. Patent Sept. 30,1975

Sheet 3 of 3 3,908,232

Sept. 30,1975

US. Patent TOW CONVERTER BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to improvements in a tow converter wherein a cutting roller system is provided between a back nip roller system and a front nip roller system to stretch and break the tow to manufacture the sliver.

The conventional tow converter contains disadvantages wherein, upon cutting the tow by means of the cutting roller, fibers located at the tip end portion of the cut tow are likely to form interlocking lumps. Also, at this time the cut dusts of the fibers is likely to attach to the tip end portion of the tow or to the rear end portion of the cut fiber. Furthermore, the sliver thus produced is inferior in the orientation of the fibers and is also uneven in weight.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a tow converter which is capable of manufacturing the tow into an excellent uniform sliver, which is superior in the debond and orientation of the fibers.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a two converter which is capable of manufacturing the tow into a better quality of sliver wherein the cut dust of the fibers is not attached to the sliver.

Other objects and further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter; it should be understood, however, that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention will become more fully under. stood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention and wherein,

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of the basic concept of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating how the tow and the cut fibers progress in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a cutting roller system composed of an anvil roller and a cutter roller;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a debonder roller system composed of a top roller and a bottom roller;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the relationship of all of the roller systems with respect to each other and the gear system for driving said roller systems.

The embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 will be described hereinafter.

The tow converter has a cutting roller system 40 provided between the back nip roller system and the front nip roller system 30, and the debonder roller 50 provided between the cutting roller system 40 and the front nip roller 30. The back nip roller system 20 is composed of a top roller 21, and a bottom rollers 22, the top roller 21 being in contact, under higher pressures, with the bottom rollers 22. All of these rollers are used for the tow converting machinery and thus are well known. The front nip roller system 30 is composed of a top roller 31 and a bottom roller 32, the former being in contact, under higher pressure, with the bottom roller 32. All of these rollers are used for the tow converting machinery and thus are well known. The front nip roller system 30 is designed to rotate much faster in surface peripheral speed than the back nip roller system 20. The cutting roller system 40 is composed of the anvil roller 41 and the cutter roller 42 which is placed opposite to the anvil roller 41 and is disposed in close proximity below the anvil roller. One or more projected threads 411 are wound in a spiral shape around the surface of the anvil roller 41. Furthermore, it is desirable to mount a plurality of flutes 412 on the projected thread 41 1, the end of the flutes being spaced in each fixed space. A plurality of eutting'edges 421 are mounted on the surface of the cutter roller 42 at angles of 0 to 20 with respect to the axial direction of the cutter roller, and are twisted in a direction opposite to the direction along which the projected thread 411 of the anvil roller is wound. Also, the cutting edges 421 have a saw tooth shape and the edge points 422 are all directed toward the rotating direction of the roller.

In the cutting roller system 40, the cutter roller 42 is designed to rotate several times faster, in surface peripheral speed, than the anvil roller 4l.

One or more sets of debonder roller systems 50 are placed between the cutting roller system 40 and the front nip roller system 30. One set of debonder roller system is composed ofa top roller 51 and a bottom roller 52, which is adapted to rotate in engaging relationship with the top roller 51 with a slight spacing disposed there between. A plurality of undercut channels 521 are cut on the surface of the bottom roller 52 at angles of 5 to with respect to the axial direction of the roller, and are twisted in the same direction as the twist direction of the cutting edges 421 of the cutter roller 42. A plurality of undercut channels 511 are cut on the surface of the top roller 51 at the same angles as those of the undercut channels 521 of the bottom roller 52, and are twisted in a direction opposite to the direction of the undercut channel 521 thereof. In the debonder roller system 50, the top roller 51 and the bottom roller 52 separately and drivingly rotate at the same surface peripheral speed. Also, both of the rollers are designed to drivingly rotate faster in surface peripe.'al speed than the back nip roller system 20, and slower than the front nip roller system 30. In the converter of the present invention, the tow 10 which has been supplied to the back nip roller system 20 is provided with a main draft, stretching between the back nip roller system 20 and the front nip roller system 30. In extending between the cutter roller 42 of the cutting roller system 40 and the anvil roller 41 thereof, the tow is impactingly grasped between the cutting edges 421 of the cutter roller 42 and the spiral-shaped projected stripe 411 of the anvil roller 41. Simultaneously, the tow is stretched by means of the cutter roller, which is rotated faster in surface peripheral speed than the back nip roller system 20 and is effectively cut thereby. Subsequently, the tip end of the tow extends through the debonder roller system 50, whereby the following effects are obtained.

Upon extention of the tow tip end through clearance between the top roller 51 of the debonder roller system and the bottom roller 52 thereof, the tip end of the tow is shifted in a vertical direction and a horizontal, lateral direction. Accordingly, the tip end of the tow is freyed loosely, whereby the shuffling of the fibers is improved. Since the debonder roller system 50 is faster in surface peripheral speed than the back nip roller system 20, the cut dust particles of the fibers attached to the tip end of the tow are removed by the stripping off operation thereof Since the front nip roller system 30 is faster in surface peripheral speed than the debonder roller 50, the cut dust particles of the fibers attached to the rear end of the cut fibers are moved by the stripping off operation thereof.

The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such varia tions are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.

What we claim is:

l. A converter for stretching and breaking a tow to manufacture a sliver utilizing a cutting roller system between a back nip roller system and a front nip roller system, said cutting rollcr system comprising an anvil roller and a cutter roller, said cutter roller being located opposite to and below the anvil roller with a slight space being disposed therebetween, projected threads wound in a spiral shape on the surface of the anvil roller and extending a distance therefrom, a plurality of cutting edges mounted on the surface of the cutter roller at angles of to with respect to the axis of the cutter roller, said cutting edges being twisted in a direction opposite to the direction along which the projected threads of the anvil roller are wound, the edge points of the cutting edges being directed in the rotating direction of the cutter roller, means for rotating the cutter roller of the cutting roller system several times faster, in surface peripheral speed, than the anvil roller and the back nip roller system, a debonder roller system placed between the cutting roller system and the front nip roller system, the debonder roller system comprising a top roller and a bottom roller which rotate to engage each other with a slight space disposed therebetwecn, undercut channels cut on the surface of the bottom roller at angles of 5 to with respect to the axial direction of the roller. said channels being twisted in the same direction as the twist direction of the cutting edges of the cutter roller, undercut channels cut on the surface of the top roller at the same angles as those of the undercut channels of the bottom roller and being twisted in a direction opposite to the direction of the undercut channel thereof, and means for rotating the top roller and the bottom roller of the debonder roller means at the same surface peripheral speed, both of said rollers being rotated faster in surface peripheral speed than the back nip roller system, and slower than the front nip roller system.

2. The converter of claim 1, wherein means are provided for rotating the back nip roller system and the front nip roller system including a gear system containing motor means for rotating all of said roller systems, said gear system establishing the ratio of the surface speed of the respective rollers, relative to each other.

3. The converter of claim 1, wherein fluted surfaces are provided on the projected threads of the anvil rol- 

1. A converter for stretching and breaking a tow to manufacture a sliver utilizing a cutting roller system between a back nip roller system and a front nip roller system, said cutting roller system comprising an anvil roller and a cutter roller, said cutter roller being located opposite to and below the anvil roller with a slight space being disposed therebetween, projected threads wound in a spiral shape on the surface of the anvil roller and extending a distance therefrom, a plurality of cutting edges mounted on the surface of the cutter roller at angles of 0* to 20* with respect to the axis of the cutter roller, said cutting edges being twisted in a direction opposite to the direction along which the projected threads of the anvil roller are wound, the edge points of the cutting edges being directed in the rotating direction of the cutter roller, means for rotating the cutter roller of the cutting roller system several times faster, in surface peripheral speed, than the anvil roller and the back nip roller system, a debonder roller system placed between the cutting roller system and the front nip roller system, the debonder roller system comprising a top roller and a bottom roller which rotate to engage each other with a slight space disposed therebetween, undercut channels cut on the surface of the bottom roller at angles of 5* to 45* with respect to the axial direction of the roller, said channels being twisted in the same direction as the twist direction of the cutting edges of the cutter roller, undercut channels cut on the surface of the top roller at the same angles as those of the undercut channels of the bottom roller and being twisted in a direction opposite to the direction of the undercut channel thereof, and means for rotating the top roller and the bottom roller of the debonder roller means at the same surface peripheral speed, both of said rollers being rotated faster in surface peripheral speed than the back nip roller system, and slower than the front nip roller system.
 2. The converter of claim 1, wherein means are provided for rotating the back nip roller system and the front nip roller system including a gear system containing motor means for rotating all of said roller systems, said gear system establishing the ratio of the surface speed of the respective rollers, relative to each other.
 3. The converter of claim 1, wherein fluted surfaces are provided on the projected threads of the anvil roller. 